I'm considering changing my large floorstanding speakers for some bookshelf speakers. My room is on the small side at 3.4m x 2.94m. Any ideas for speakers to compliment(?) my Yamaha A-S501 (its a keeper-no negotiable)
Bookshelf speakers for a small room?
- Thread starter kramer2020
- Start date
Al ears
Well-known member
Budget?
Do you already own stands or will you need those as well.
You might be better off money wise getting small floorstanders
Budget in the region of £400- £600 incl. stands. I have tried some very nice looking Dali Oberon 5's but I found the to be very overpowering bass wise for their size and my Wharfedale 230's seemed very mild mannered in comparison. This may be because the Dali's were rear ported whereas the 230's have down firing ports (the Dali's were well away from the rear wall)
Al ears
Well-known member
For that budget you'll only have around 3-5 hundred for the speakers themselves.
Perhaps second-hand small floorstanders is maybe where you should be looking.
That or some smaller Wharfedale standmounts.
Can you actually audition anything?
Failing that look at second hand Totem Arro on eBay, you may be pleasantly surprised...
plastic penguin
Well-known member
Not sure the Yamaha 501 will have sufficient quality to drive the Totems. A better option would be PMC GB1. They slightly bigger than the Totems but have a front vent. My little A65 had no issues driving them.
Al ears
Well-known member
That is, indeed, another option.
Looking at output of 501 I would suggest it has sufficient power to drive the Arros as they have the same spec as the GB1, if not to disco levels but doubt he needs this in a small room
plastic penguin
Well-known member
Tricky one given how meagre his budget is. Also, if he can find some Usher S520 are very impressive. They were sub-£500 when new. But so few come onto the market.
Al ears
Well-known member
Now that's a thought. Haven't heard Ushers mentioned recently. Once had my heart set on a pair of their mini dancers
Rare I guess as they are Taiwanese.
Perhaps the Triangle Borea BR03 might be worth looking at?
plastic penguin
Well-known member
For the money those Ushers are fabulous speakers. They were powered by Arcam A18.
Not heard the Triangles.
Witterings
Well-known member
In one of my rooms I tried various bookshelf speakers when upgrading from some Monitor Audio BX1's with a £500 budget and ended up with Elac B5.2's which I think are brilliant.
They're a warm speaker with lots of detail but in comparsion to the other's I tried give a much "bigger" sound and great bass for a bookshelf.
If you wanted an even bigger sound might be worth looking at their B6.2's as well.
They're a warm speaker with lots of detail but in comparsion to the other's I tried give a much "bigger" sound and great bass for a bookshelf.
If you wanted an even bigger sound might be worth looking at their B6.2's as well.
matthewpianist
Well-known member
If you can find a pair at the right price give the JBL Classic 52L a listen. I own a pair and they're outstanding small speakers - balanced, open, detailed, and easy to position. When I bought mine they were £500 new, but they seem to have gone up considerably in cost, so it might be a matter of shopping around.
The other small speakers I would suggest investigating are the B&W 607s (around £330).
Either of these would work very well with your Yamaha amplifier (which which I am familiar).
The other small speakers I would suggest investigating are the B&W 607s (around £330).
Either of these would work very well with your Yamaha amplifier (which which I am familiar).
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Al ears
Well-known member
Indeed. I was going to suggest the latest 607's but, being rear ported they might be difficult to place in a very small room
matthewpianist
Well-known member
Dad has a pair set quite close to the wall in a relatively small room, and they work very well. The two-part bungs B&W supply are also very useful, though Dad isn't finding the need to use them. Like me, he prefers a well balanced sound.
Witterings
Well-known member
I owned the 607 S's in between the Monitor Audio BX1's and the Elacs and sold them for quite a loss and kept the Elac's having back to backed them with a speaker switch .... too bright and not the depth of the Elac's but just my experience.
SteveH72
Well-known member
607s are a good shout and would benefit from the Yamaha’s hefty power supply. I enjoyed the sound of them but they are best in small rooms or nearer-field listening.
lots of options, but I found QAcoustics paired well with Yamaha amplification. I’d throw the Concpet 30s into the mix, or the newer 5020s.
QAcoustics make very good speakers for the money.
lots of options, but I found QAcoustics paired well with Yamaha amplification. I’d throw the Concpet 30s into the mix, or the newer 5020s.
QAcoustics make very good speakers for the money.
SteveH72
Well-known member
A speaker I’m very keen to hear. I keep looking for the bargains but not much around.
record_spot
Well-known member
Going back a year or ten, but if you ever get the chance to try the diminutive Tannoy DC4 as New Old Stock, snap them up. Better bass than you might expect, midrange to die for and a finish not readily seen in sub-£500 speakers. Tannoy's dual concentric drivers are a bonus.
matthewpianist
Well-known member
I don't think it's one that will surface much on the secondhand market. I won't part with mine, and a friend who is a past member of the forum also loves his pair.
AJM1981
Well-known member
I have experience with B&W, Tannoy and Wharfedale but when I would recommend a small bookshelf speaker that blows minds I would recommend the Madison bs4, 70 to 75 euros a pair.
Simple but extremely underpriced performance wise
Simple but extremely underpriced performance wise
Amormusic
Well-known member
plastic penguin
Well-known member
Those Concept 40s are pretty big and need some space which I don't think the OP has.
Is the Wam paying for all their classifieds?🙂
Al ears
Well-known member
plastic penguin
Well-known member
You buy a brand new pair of Concept 40s for £499 from SSAV.
Q Acoustics Concept 40 Floorstanding Speakers
The Q Acoustics Concept 40 Floorstanding Speakers are the newest addition of the acclaimed award winning Concept range and they deliver unparalleled sonic performance at its price point.
www.sevenoakssoundandvision.co.uk
matthewpianist
Well-known member
Concept 40s are a red herring I'm afraid. They, like the 3050i, need plenty of space around them, and they will boom if they are not given this.
The new 5020 would be worth a listen at £499 if Q Acoustics are of interest, though I haven't heard these.
The new 5020 would be worth a listen at £499 if Q Acoustics are of interest, though I haven't heard these.
Rodolfo
Well-known member
I love my Martin Logan LX16s, with their remarkable tweeters. These appear to be the Motion 15is of today, but I'd study the question. I complement these with Wharfedale Diamond 225s which are a great buy. The superior tweeter and warm base of the Martin Logans on my A speaker setting suffice for 80 percent of my music, and the somewhat but clearly better or greater bass of the Wharfedale Ds on B fill out nicely on certain albums or tracks . I think they're 5 and 8 ohm units respectively. A Rotel A12 integrated powers and controls my 2-channel setup.
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